Prince Edward History and Pioneers

Just as Nova Scotia has its Evangeline Trail that will take you to all of the Acadian villages and spots along the way, Prince Edward Island has an area called La Région Évangeline/The Evangeline Region.

This region of Prince Edward Island has been able over the years to maintain its French identity largely due to the French-speaking people of this area.

Surnames found here are: Arsenault, Gallant, Richard, Poirier and other family Acadian names. The first Acadians arrived in Acadia, now Nova Scotia in the 17th century and then some went to Prince Edward Island between 1720 and 1758.

This region of P.E.I. was settled in 1812 by Acadian ancestors who had first pioneered settlements near Malpeque Bay on the north shore of the island. These first pioneers formed the parishes of La Roche now Egmont Bay and Le Grand Ruisseau now Mont-Carmel.

Though The Evangeline Region was settled in 1812, Acadians were actually present on the island as early as 1720 when the first Acadian families came here from Nova Scotia. They joined a few hundred settlers who had come from France earlier in the year. With the arrival of all these people, many settlements sprung up. Among them: Havre-Saint-Pierre, Malpèque, Pointe-Prime, Port-Lajoie and Tracadie.

The Acadians who went to Prince Edward Island from what became Nova Scotia had been living in places like Port-Royal, Grand-Pré, Pisiquid/Windsor, Cobequid/Truro and Beaubassin near what we know today as Amherst. The numbers of Acadians who moved to the Island was many. Between 1748 and 1752, the population increased from 735 to 2,223. More sought refuge in 1755 when the Deportation began in Nova Scotia. However, in 1758, this island fell to the British who then proceded to deport the inhabitants to France. At that time, the population had grown to 5,000. In spite of this, it seems that approximately 2,000 Acadians escaped through the woods or went to the mainland.

Sixty-one Acadian families had settled on the island in 1828. Though they numbered sixty-one families, there were only 8 different family names: 32 Arsenaults, 15 Gallants, 4 Richards, 3 Bernards, 3 Poriers, 2 Downings, 1 Aucoin and 1 Cormier. They formed a close family community. Today, the Downing name is no more to found here but other names like Barrieau, Caissie, Gaudet, LeClair and Maddix abound.

Some of the pioneer families of the Evangeline Region:

ARSENAULT - Pierre Arsenault was born in France about 1650. He is the first Acadian Arsenault ancestor in North America having arrived in Acadia about 1671, settled in Port-Royal and moved to Beaubassin. He married twice: 1. Marguerite Dugas about 1675. She was the daughter of Abraham and Marguerite Doucet. 2. Marie Guérin sometime before the Census of 1686. She was the daughter of François and Anne Blanchard.

NOTE: The first Arsenault to settle in North America was Francois ARSENAULT, the Quebecois. He arrived in North America in 1664 or 1665. There is a notary contract of La Tousche at Cap-de-la-Madeleine, 1 November 1665.

In 1728, his son Piere, from his first marriage, married Marie-Anne Boudreau about 1697. She was the daughter of Jean and Marguerite Bourgeois. Their grandson Charles married Cécile Breau about 1722. She was the daughter of Antoine and Marguerite Babin. Both these ancestors settled on Malpèque Bay with their families. Later came other family members. In 1752, there were 14 Arsenault families living on Ile St-Jean.

AUCOIN/WEDGE

- Aucoin/Wedge families go back to Martin Aucoin. He was born in France about 1651. Arriving in Acadia about 1680, he first settled in Beaubassin and then in Grand-Pré. It is there that he married Marie Gaudet about 1673. She was the daughter of Denis Gaudet and Martine Gauthier to Jean Gaudet and unknown spouse.

Martin Aucoin's grandson, Jean Aucoin, born about 1748, and his wife Rosalie Bernard, are the ancestors of all the Aucoin/Wedge families on Prince Edward Island They were married about 1780 at Malpèque. Jean was the son of Jean and Marguerite Pitre. His father was the son of Martin and Marie Gaudet to Martin and Marie Sallé. At this time, I have no lineage for Rosalie but when I do, I will add it to this post. Jean and his parents were deported to Pennsylvania in 1755. When he went to Ile St-Jean, he met and married. Eleven of their twelve children settled at Mont-Carmel.

In 1790, Jean Aucoin signed his name John Wedge on a petition. Today, the name of Wedge is very common on the Island than Aucoin.

NOTE: James Perry(Poirier) of Prince Edward Island was kind enough to send the following information on the Aucoins of P.E.I.

Just a little oral history regarding Jean Aucoin who was the first Aucoin to settle on Prince Edward Island. When is family was deported from Grand Pre in 1755, his mother and siblings and him were put on a transport bound for Pennsylvannia, His father was put on another transport. They never saw him again. His mother and siblings were put ashore in Pennsylvannia. Jean was
kept aboard the ship and listed as a cabin boy. He would of been about 10 or eleven years old. About 2 or 3 years later, Jean was found on the beach by Malpeque, P.E.I. Whether he jumped ship or was marooned there by the English Captain and crew, nobody knows. Jean was found by the Bernard Family and taken in by them. He later married one of their daughters, Rosalie. The 11
children who settled at Mont Carmel were:

1.Simeon who married Marie Richard
2.Marcel who married Ursule Arsenault*
3.Gregoire who married Madeleine Richard
4.Suzanne who married Thomas Richard*
5.Esther who married Germain Poirier*
6.Madeleine who married Pierre Gallant
7.Henriette who married Bruno Gallant*
8.Marguerite who married Joseph Richard
9.Marie who married Colas Arsenault
10.Isaac
11.Joseph who married Collette Poirier

* direct ancestors of myself.

2.Marcel who married Ursule Arsenault. they had 7 children
1.Sophique married Amand Arsenault
2.Marie did not marry
3.Isabelle married Daniel Arsenault
4.Joseph married Appoline Brun
5.Fabion married Marie Gallant
6.Isaie married Madleine Arsenault
7.Firmain married Marguerite Gallant*

1.Julie Gallant married Hughues Arsenault son of Francois and they had 3
children
1.Clovis married Marie Richard
2.Joseph who married 1st ursule Pitre
2nd Marie Pitre
3.Bathilde who married Germain Arsenault*

3.Bathilde Arsenault married Germain Arsenault son of Remi and they had 7
children
1.Joseph Balcide who married 1st Marie Gallant*
2nd Appoline Aucoin
2.Marie Rose who married Joseph L Poirier@
3.Columbain who married Marguerite Gallant
4.Adelle who married Jean Aucoin#
5.Clovis who married Emma Poirier (sister of Joseph L)
6.Benoit who married Martha Richard
7.Jean

# see Henry Wedge above
@ parents of Clovis (Clovie Poirier) rumrunner, and restaurant owner in
Summerside
Clovie and his brother ran rum into P.E.I. during the prohibition. For
excellent articles on rumrunning check out The Nellie C. Banks by Geoff and
Dorthy Robinson, also It Came in by the Boatload by the same authors.

More from James Perry of P.E.I.:

Hi Lucie, the details on Jean Charles Aucoin, 1st Aucoin to come to P.E.I. are as follows:

B.Arsenault, so it may or may not be 100%, Perhaps if someone has access to S.White or others, they could forward corrections to me. Also Port Royal is in Annapolis County, Grand Pre is in Kings County, Beaubasin is in Cumberland County, all now in present day Nova Scotia.

Regarding the location of Malpeque, today it is on the east side of Malpeque Bay, which is in Queens County, and is primarily an english town, The Acadian Malpeque was on the west side of Malpeque Bay in Prince County. It is not a present day community, but would lie about 4or 5 miles north of
present day Miscouche. See any good Island Map for references.

I trust this will be interesting and accurate enough. I am always open for comments and corrections.

- Nicolas Barrieau is the first ancestor of all the Barrieaus of Acadia. He was born in France about 1648. About 1682 he married Martine Hébert daughter of Étienne Hébert and Marie Gaudet. They later settled in Pisiquid/Windsor. Their son Pierre and his wife Véronique Girouard married about 1730. She was the daughter of Pierre and Marie Doiron. They went to Ile St-Jean about 1750 but they were deported to France in 1758. Pierre's son Olivier came from France in 1774 and settled in Carleton, Québec on the Gaspé Peninsula.

The Barrieau descendants come from the line of Charles, Olivier's grandson. Charles was born in Carleton in 1796. His parents then went to Saint-Louis-de-Kent, N.B., where Charles married Marguerite Robichaud. After his wife died in 1829, Charles moved to Ile St-Jean and lived in Maximeville. He remarried to Agnès Mazerolle in 1843. She was from the village of Brae in Lot 10.

BERNARD

- The Bernards of Acadie are descendants of René Bernard and Madeleine Doucet. They married about 1689.
She was the daughter of Pierre and Henriette Pelletret. René is listed in the census records for Beaubassin 1693, 1698, 1700. As a family, they were living near Beaubassin, today Amherst, Nova Scotia.

The marriage of Joseph Bernard to Marguerite Arsenault on January 1st after the census of 1752, was the second marriage for both of them. He was the widower of Marie-Josèphe Gaudet who he married about 1729. She was the daughter of Claude Gaudet and Marguerite Blou. Marguerite was the widow of Pierre Poirier who she had married 3 February 1740 at Beaubassin. Pierre Poirier was the son of Louis and Cécile Mignot. Marguerite's parents were Charles Arseneau and Françoise Mirande to Pierre and Marie Guérin.

Joseph and Marguerite were part of the group of refugees in Chaleur Bay during the Deportation. They later settled in Malpèque. All of the Bernard ancestors on the Island descend from Joseph and Marguarite/Natalie.

CAISSIE

- Roger dit Jean Caissie/Quessy/Kuessy was born in Ireland about 1648. He is the first ancestor of the Caissie descendants of Acadia. Marrying Marie-Françoise Poirier about 1668, they settled in Beaubassin. Marie-Françoise was the daughter of Jean and Jeanne Chebrat. Some Cassie family members were deported to the New England Colonies in 1755 as well as to France while others were able to escape.

Mathias Caissie, born about 1811 in Richibuctou, New Brunswick, was the first of the Caissie ancestors to settle in Egmont Bay. Arriving about 1831 with his wife Marguerite Arsenault, he would be joined about 1840 when his father's first cousin, Jean Caissie arrived with his second wife, Madeleine Boucher and family. Jean was born about 1802 in Grande-Digue, New Brunswick.

CORMIER

- Robert Cormier and Marie Péraud were married about 1635. They arrived at St-Pierre/St. Peter's, Cape Breton, about 1644. Their son Thomas was one of the pioneers of Beaubassin.

Thomas Cormier was born about 1636 and married Marie-Madeleine Girouard about 1668. She was the daughter of François Girouard and Jeanne Aucoin.

The Island Cormier descendants trace their lineage back to Hilaire Cormier and Angélique Gallant. (Sorry but I have no information on this couple at this time.) First at Malpèque, they later settled at Egmont Bay.

HACHÉ (LARCHÉ) dit GALLANT

- Michel Haché dit Gallant was probably the son of Pierre and an Unknown Native woman. He was born about 1662 - his baptismal record states that he was the son of an "Frenchman and an Eskimo". He married Anne Cormier about 1690. She was the daughter of Thomas and Marie-Madeleine Girouard. She was born about 1674 and died on the Island. This couple are the ancestors of all of the Haché dit Gallants of North America.

Orphaned, Michel was entrusted to Michel LeNeuf de la Vallière of Trois-Rivières, Québec. Mr. LeNeuf brought Michel with him to Acadia when he took control of his seigneury in Beaubassin about 1676.

Michel Haché, his wife Anne Cormier and 11 of their 12 children left Beaubassin to settle at Port-Lajoie in 1720. Most of the members of the Haché dit Gallant family escaped deportation in 1758 by seeking refuge in the Chaleur Bay area though one of their daughter's Marguerite drowned at sea with three of her chidren while being deported to France. Many eventually made it back to the Island so that in 1798, there were 12 Gallant families in Rustico and 10 in Malpèque.

The "Hashie" family living in the Evangeline Region descend from Edouard Haché and Adèle Richard. They were married about 1885 in Tignish. They lived in East Bideford - Lot 12 - and then moved their family to Saint-Hubert parish of Egmont Bay in the early 1900s. Edouard was the son of Joseph and Anna Haché. He was born near Bathurst, New Brunswick.

GAUDET

- Born about 1575, Jean Gaudet is the ancestor of the many Gaudet descendants. His first wife is unknown but with her they were the parents of Françoise who married Daniel LeBlanc, Denis who married Martine Gauthier and Marie who married Étienne Hébert. It is believe his first marriage too place about 1622 in France. He married a second time to Nicole Colleson about 1652 in Port-Royal. They had one son, Jean who married Françoise Comeau.

A fifth generation grandson, Joseph dit Chaculot Gaudet, is the ancestor of all of the Island Gaudet descendants. Born in Beaubassin about 1740, he managed to escape the Deportation. He married Marie-Blanche Bourque on 02 August 1763 before Joseph Goguen while in exile. They had their marriage blessed in Miquelon 7 June 1766. Marie-Blanche was the daughter of Michel Bourque and Marguerite-Josèphe Bourgeois.

Records show that they were in Halivax, Nova Scotia; the French Island of Miquelon; Cocagne and Jolicoeur, New Brunswick; and Malpèque, Isle St-Jean about 1784. They left Malpèque to go to Tignish and then to Miscouche. The Evangeline Region Gaudets who settled there in the 19th century came from Miscouche.

LECLAIR

- The LeClairs of Prince Edward Island descend from Pierre LeClair who ws born about 1749 in Yvignac near Saint-Malo, France. Twice married, each of his wives were Acadians who had been born on Isle Saint-Jean. First he married Anne Comeau on the Island of Saint-Pierre. His second marriage in France was to Rose Belliveau. They lived at Miquelon which is off the west coast of Newfoundland. When the French Revolution began in 1798, the left this location and about 1793, settled in Rustico, Isle St-Jean. LeClair descendants of Egmont Bay come from two of Pierre's grandsons: Sylvestre LeClair who married Lucille Arsenault in 1839 and Jérôme LeClair who married Cécile Gallant about 1868.

MADDIX

- Maddix - often pronounced Maddec - is Irish. James Maddix was born in Ireland about 1795. By 1820, he was living in the Egmont area. Anne MacDougall was his first wife. After her death, he became a part of the Acadian community when he married Scholastique (Colostie) Arsenault in 1851. The Maddis family on the Island descend from this second marriage. James Maddix died in Egmont Bay about 1875.

POIRIER/PERRY

- Jean Poirier married Jeanne Chebrat about 1647 and died sometime before 1654. Along with his nephew Michel Poirier born about 1667 who married Marie Chiasson about 1692 (daughter of Guyon and Jeanne Bernard), were the first Poiriers in Acadia. Marie was born about 1678 and died before 14 November 1740. Two of Jean's children settled in Beaubassin as did his nephew Michel and his wife.

Several Poirier families were deported to the New England Colonies in 1755 while others became refugees in the Chaleur Bay vicinity. Still others managed to stay in the Beaubassin area. A few of these families fiannly settled on the Island. In 1798, there were 6 Poirier families living in Malpèque. It seems that some of these families had been living on the Island prior to the Deportation of Isle St-Jean in 1758.

Many Islanders bear the name of Perry - the anglicized version of Poirier that was already in use in 1790.

RICHARD

- Michel Richard dit Sansoucy was born in France about 1630 according to the Déclarations de Belle-Ile-en-Mer. He married Madeleine Blanchard, daughter of Jean and Radegonde Lambert, about 1656 in Port-Royal (DBIM). After Madeleine's death between 1678-1684, Michel married Jeanne Babin, daugher of Antoine and Marie Mercier, about 1683. (This Marie Mercier was the daughter of Françoise Gaudet and Unknown Mercier. Françoise married Daniel LeBlanc in Port-Royal, the first LeBlanc ancestor.)

Alexandre Richard born about 1695, married Marie-Madeleine Thibodeau about 1724. She was the daughter of Jean and Marguerite Hébert. Alexandre was the son of Martin Richard and Marguerite Bourg/Bourque and the grandson of Michel and Madeleine Blanchard. Alexandre and Marie-Madeleine left Beaubassin and settled in Malpèque about 1741. During the Deportation, this family also went to Chaleur Bay, including Alexandre's grandsons Joseph and Charles Richard. These two brothers married two sisters by the names of Rosalie and Marie Poirier. In 1780, they returned to Malpèque.

Mont-Carmel parish counts five of the children of Charles and Marie Poirier's children among the founding families of the parish.

The First Settlers of Prince Edward Island

The names of the first settlers of Prince Edward Island, (originally named Isle Saint-Jean) 1720-1850, are inscribed in at Acadian Museum on the island. Stephen White, genealogist at the University of Moncton helped to establish who these settlers were. They are as follows:

1. The names of 27 household heads according to the 1798 Census

2. Two other names that did not appear in the 1798 Census, but who were indeed present on the Island in 1798, were added
3. Five of the wives of the 27 household heads according to the 1798 Census whose ancestors were on Isle Saint-Jean before the Deportation

4. Ten other families who arrived on the Island between 1827 and
1850

1. The names of 27 household heads according to the
1798 Census:

Arsenault

Aucoin

Bernard

Blanchard

Blaquière

Bourque

Buote

Cheverie

Chiasson

DesRoches

Doiron

Doucet

Downing

Gallant

Gaudet

Gauthier

Gautreau

Landry

LeBrun

LeClair

Longuépée

Martin

Pineau

Pitre

Poirier

Richard

Roussel

2. Two other names that did not appear in the 1798 Census, but who were indeed present on the Island in
1798, were added:

Cormier

Daigle

Five of the wives of the 27 household heads according to the 1798 Census whose ancestors were on Isle Saint-Jean before the Deportation:

Belliveau: Three sisters who married Doucet, LeClair and
Buote

Boudreau: Importance of the nine Boudreau sisters in the Island's Acadian families.

Carret: The female ancestor of Martin.

Comeau: The female ancestor of certain Blaquière and Gautreau families.

Petitpas: Wife of a Bourque.

Ten other families who arrived on the Island between 1827 and 1850:

Arrivals according to the parish registers:

Caissie - 1827

Haché - 1830

Maillet - 1835

Thibodeau - 1835

LeBlanc - 1836

Barriault- 1839

Robichaud - 1840

Thériault - 1844

Duguay - 1845

Maddix - 1851

Villages of the Evangeline Region

EGMONT BAY PARISH

Egmont Bay was once the catholic parish of St-Philippe and St-Jacques. For a long time the area was called St. Jacques. St. Jacques was the patron saint of Jacques Bernard and was named in his honor. Jacques River flows through the this area. The Mik'maq called the bay Wegwaak, meaning steep and rugged point. The French called it Grande Anse/Big Cove.

The first Acadians to settle to this area in 1812, called this place La Roche because of the jagged rock coast at Maximeville. The English called it Dutchman Rock as it seems that at some point in time, it was shaped like the head of a person wearing a German/Dutch helmet.. so the story goes. In a 1909 storm, the rock broke off but it is still called Dutchman Rock on the official Island map.

It is sometimes referred to as La Roche by elderly Acadians.

ABRAM-VILLAGE aka Abram's Village

This village has had many names: "Village des Abrams", "Abram's Village", Abraham's Village" and "Saint-Abraham". The village was founded by the son Jean-Baptiste, his children and their families, of Petit Abraham Arsenault. They were known as the Abrams, thus was the village so named.

MAXIMEVILLE

Named after Maxime Arsenault (1804-1868), this village has often been called Petit-Cap. Maxime was granted the deed to his land in 1828. The son of Abraham Arsenault, he came frm Abram's Village. The Haldimand River forms a natural border between Maximeville and Abram's Village.

SAINT-CHRYSOSTOME

Originally named Saint-Joseph in honor of Joseph Madgitte Arsenault and Joseph League ARsenault, older people sometimes called it the Village des Joe - Village of the Joes. The name was changed to Saint Chrysostome in honor of Saint John Chrysostom, one of the Fathers of the Church. The area is also called Rocky Point.

SAINT-GILBERT

This parish was named after the patron saint of Gilbert Bernard, one of the early settlers, about 1875.

SAINT-HUBERT

This village was named after Hubert Arsenault (*1814-1892), the father of several men who founded the area. It was orginally named McIsaac Road after Angus McIsaac, one of the founders of the Richmond Village. This name is still in use.

SAINT-PHILIPPE

Named Saint-Philippe in 1870, it was likely named after one of two patron saints of the parish.

URBAINVILLE

Originally called Egmont Bay Road, it is known as Portage. It was renamed Urbainville in honor of Urbain Arsenault (1808-1901), one of the pioneers and the oldest man at the time.

MONT-CARMEL PARISH

This village was dedicated to Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Originally named Le Grand Ruisseau (Large Stream), oral tradition kept this name for a long time. Thre are four districts/villages in this parish/county.

CAPE EGMONT

This area is usually referred to as Le Cap or Le Grand Cap.

MONT CARMEL

This is where you will find Notre-Dame-du-Mont-Carmel Church. For a long time, it was also called Fifteen Point.

SAINT-RAPHAEL

Originally referred to as the Back Settlement by the english speaking, it was named Saint Raphaël in 1885 in honor of the first settler, Raphaël Poirier who received the deed to this land in 1829.

SAINT-TIMOTHÉE

Usually referred to as La Butte, it was named about 1893 after the patron saint of Timothée Gallant, one of the first settlers. The western side used to be called Saint-Grégoire in honor of Grégoire Gallant, another pioneer.

THE VILLAGE OF WELLINGTON

Known for a long time as Wellington Station, it was named after Arthur Wellesley who became the first Duke of Wellington in 1814. He was a general in the British army who defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815 and became Prime Minister of Great Britain in 1818. Ironically, he was Irish.